


A Different Kind of Chaos

by DonnaClaireHolmes



Category: The Witcher (TV)
Genre: Gen, Geralt makes a friend kinda, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of Blood, and then life happens, idk man this is my first witcher fic and im at a loss, last airbender-esque character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:00:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26786335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DonnaClaireHolmes/pseuds/DonnaClaireHolmes
Summary: Geralt meets an odd woman on the road.Takes place after "Rare Species"
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	A Different Kind of Chaos

**Author's Note:**

> Four Things:  
> 1\. So the only working knowledge I have of The Witcher at the moment is of the Netflix show, sorry for any inaccuracies.   
> 2\. I've never played DnD before, but this girl is the character I made if I ever play a game.  
> 3\. The last few scenes were written while listening to "This Is My World" from the Batman V Superman soundtrack for.... reasons XD  
> 4\. Thank you so much for even opening this work up. Seriously, I truly appreciate it and I hope you enjoy <3

Yennefer was gone, Jaskier was gone, hell even Borch was gone. Geralt waited till nightfall to begin his journey down the mountain. He was hoping something would attack him, giving him an opportunity to release some of his rage. This child surprise, this search for a dragon, it was all dredging up these feelings Geralt was not yet used to. Conversations he just had rung lounder in his ears than they originally had. 

_ You flit about like a tornado, wreaking havoc and for what?! So you can have a baby? A child is no way to boost your fragile ego, Yen! _

_ I'll take advice from you about children as soon as you take responsibility for the one you bound to you and then abandoned! _

_ Damn it, Jaskier! Why is it whenever I find myself in a pile of shit these days, it's you shoveling it?! _

_ That's not fair- _

_ The Child Surprise, the djinn, all of it! If life could give me one blessing, it would be to take you off my hands! _

An hour into his travels and the Witcher had only been surrounded by his thoughts, nothing more. He had given up hope for a fight until a clearing gave view of a kikimora scrambling at a young man. 

_ Poor fool _ , Geralt thought to himself,  _ probably got himself lost and ran into this mess _ . 

However, a mess for this young man meant a challenge for Geralt, as well as the possibility for some coin. He sprinted through the rest of the clearing, slid feet first and swung at one of the kikimora’s legs. It cried in pain and turned to face the new challenger. In a meantime, the young man it was originally after had sprinted from view. Geralt went to work, hacking at the creature with his silver sword till it tumbled to one side. The Witcher was rearing up to drive his sword through its chest when the young man returned, running on its legs and jumping on the kikimora’s back. 

Geralt had to pause to take in the scene, the man he thought he saw actually being a woman, a human-looking woman with a silver-tipped spade which she thrusted through the monster. The kikimora flailed for a moment, one of its legs reaching back and swiping at the woman, who it knocked off its back. She landed hard on the other side of the clearing. Geralt was beyond confused, but he decided to make sure the kikimora stayed down before questioning the woman. 

The beast was done for, Geralt having decapitated it for good measure. He walked over to the woman’s unmoving form as he sheathed his sword. The woman had put up quite the fight before the White Wolf had arrived, having various cuts on her arms and legs. But what concerned Geralt was a rather large gash across her stomach that was bleeding heavily. She was curled in on herself, trying to hold the wound unsuccessfully. Her face was pale and blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. She reminded Geralt of Jaskier and their Jynn encounter. 

_ Fuck… _

Geralt kneeled and began putting pressure on the gash. The woman looked up with silver eyes, staring at him in confusion. As they sat, he not only assessed her other wounds but also took in some key features. Her hair, mahogany-brown and shaved down nearly to her scalp on both sides, leaving just several inches on top that fell uniformly to one side. She had several scars on her face and neck, including one that began from her left ear and extended down to nearly the center of her chest. She was pale, probably from the blood loss, which prompted Geralt back into action. He locked eyes with her and nodded before wrapping his jacket across her midsection so that he could scoop her up in his arms. 

He hadn’t sprinted as fast as he did then in years. They said nothing as he returned to Roach, then taking off for the nearest town, all while keeping pressure on her stomach. Geralt felt the woman falling against his chest and looked down to see her eyes drooping close. 

“No… no, no, stay with me.” He raised a hand to her cheek, realizing how her skin felt like ice. The sudden warmth jolted her awake long enough to keep riding till the two stopped in the middle of a camp. A man stood guard by a roaring fire, hardly looking surprised until he saw all the blood. 

“Please, she needs a healer.” Geralt didn’t have time to wait. He jumped off of Roach with the woman still in his arms. She had begun to shiver from the cold. The guard nodded and led them to the closest tent where he was instructed to lay her on a cot. Another young man, the healer, rose from his desk in the corner of the tent and began work without question. As he began cleaning the woman’s wound, the guard started to escort Geralt out of the tent. 

“I’m staying with her.” Geralt began to protest. 

“The best thing you can do for her now is to wait outside, out of the healers way.” The guard said as he opened the tent flaps. Geralt nodded and looked back at the woman once more before following the guard. 

He could’ve sworn he saw her smile. 

____________________________________________________________________________

_ Fight a kikimora, they said. It would be easy, they said.  _

The woman woke with that irritating thought in her head. So she hadn’t died, excellent. Now to figure out where she was and promptly leave. She tried to sit up but didn’t get very far, not only did the pain in her stomach remind her of her situation, but a firm hand on her shoulder helped her to lay back down. Looking up, she saw the Witcher sitting on the edge of the bed next to her. 

“You stayed?” Her voice was a bit raspy, but loud enough to hear. Geralt chuckled slightly before removing his hand and pulling a blanket up and over her. 

“Figured I could get a few answers before I went on my way. Had to talk to the woman who challenged a kikimora, and brought it down.” He said as he crossed his arms, trying to read the look on her face.

“You killed it, I simply pinned it to the ground.” She grunted, sitting up slightly to better look at the man who helped her. Geralt swore he was seeing things, because as she exhaled it seemed as if she was nearly breathing fire. He shook it off and continued the conversation. 

“Why were you there in the first place?” 

“I heard a kikimora was nearby and wanted to see if I could best it.” She said rather quickly, as if scripted. 

“Who are you?” Geralt asked, looking a bit more puzzled and more irritated by the second. 

“Nobody of import, White Wolf.” Not the answer he was hoping for. Geralt stood and grabbed a pitcher of water from the nearby table, pouring a glass and handing it to her. She nodded in thanks before taking a few sips. Geralt returned to his seat, waiting to continue his interrogation.

“Tell me, witcher, why did you help me?” The woman looked up at him as if there were more to the question. He sighed after a heavy pause and crossed his arms.

“There’s something about you…. I can’t tell what, but I need to know how you lasted so long against the kikimora.” 

“I’ll tell you this, you have never met anyone like me, Geralt of Rivia.” With that, and a bit more energy since when she had woken up, the woman stood and reached for her pack. Geralt stood as well, following her as she exited the tent. 

“Thank you for your help, gentlemen. Hopefully our paths will never cross again.” She tossed a small bag of coins to the healer for his troubles and walked back towards the clearing, leaving Geralt with a hundred more questions. 

She stopped next to Roach, and bowed her head in thanks before continuing on. The sun began to set once again as she returned to the clearing, finding the body of the beast exactly where it had been decapitated. She broke off the tip of one of its claws and slipped it into the pocket of her cape. 

Once the woman was content that she was still alone, she grounded herself and made the motions of her hands tearing something apart. With her movement, the ground underneath the beast opened like sliding doors until the kikimora fell underneath. She then brought her fists together and the earth closed above the corpse. 

Afterwards, the woman extended a hand and clenched it into a fist, a small cave rising from the ground as her hand moved. It was perfect for a person to sleep under a roof. She sat at the entrance and built a small pile of sticks for a fire. With no flint on her, she pointed at the bundle with two fingers, a small flame releasing from their tip, igniting the fire. 

Geralt, naturally, had been hiding in the forest watching everything. This woman was controlling elements like he controlled his sword in battle. As she sat, he inched even closer towards her makeshift enclosure as quiet as possible. It wasn't enough, and Geralt felt himself being knocked back into the forest by an unnaturally strong gust of wind. Before he could get up, a line of fire spread on the ground between himself and the clearing, the woman standing on the other side. 

She was irritated, naturally, arms crossed and eyes glaring. As Geralt stood she sighed and rolled her shoulders. 

“Fine, Witcher. My name is Taliya…. Let’s talk.” 

____________________________________________________________________________

Geralt stood across from Taliya, a wall of fire blazing between them. However, it was controlled, staying in a uniform line. Taliya uncrossed her arms and shoved her hands into her pockets, a sign she was still uncomfortable. Before extinguishing the fire, the young woman turned back to her rock enclosure and lifted her hand again, the small cave growing to almost the size of the clearing, now including the small campfire inside. 

With a simple waive of her hand the wall of flame disappeared, and Taliya walked over to sit at the fire. Geralt followed just a few feet behind and stood at the entrance to the cave. 

“Please, have a seat.” She motioned next to her.

“I’d rather get my answers and leave, thank you.”

“I insist.” Taliya smirked as she snapped her fingers and a thunderstorm began, pouring heavily on Geralt. “I’d rather you not catch a cold in this terrible weather.” The Witcher grunted before complying, sitting with his back to the wall. 

“What are you?” Geralt asked, pausing after each word. 

“I don’t know.”

“Horseshit.”

“I don’t! Truly… Years ago, a few mages north of the Blue Mountains wished to create a female Witcher.” The light of the fire illuminated Taliya’s face as she spoke. “One of them kidnapped me from my village as a young girl, and attempted the trials. They failed, obviously, but years later I developed these… abilities. The power to bend the elements to my whim.” She said with tears brimming in her eyes, clearly leaving out some more tragic details.

“Why would anyone want to create a female Witcher? What’s the point?”

“To see if it could be done? To create a weapon? To make something for them to use? I don’t know!” Taliya snapped, and the flames of the campfire flared up with her rage. She inhaled deeply and the flames shortened down to their original height. 

“Listen, I still don’t understand why these mages did what they did. When I returned to their cabin years later I discovered they had been killed. I found their corpses in the burnt remains of the cabin.” Geralt didn’t know what to say. He had never heard of any attempts at a female Witcher, not while he was at Kaer Morhen nor after. Vesamir would’ve heard of the plan and put a stop to it, or at least he should’ve. 

Taliya reached for her pack and removed a small bundle of cloth, inside of which was strips of dried meat. She offered a few pieces to Geralt, who took them with a nod. The storm raging outside slowed to a drizzle as Taliya relaxed, eating a piece with her guest. 

Most of the rest of the night was in silence. Geralt sat uncomfortably against one wall while Taliya huddled next to the fire, legs crossed and hands rubbing her biceps. The Witcher decided enough was enough, he wanted more answers. 

“You can bend elements?” Taliya nearly jumped at the unexpected sound. 

“Yes.”

  
“Which ones?”

“Earth, air, water and fire.”

“Hmm.” Geralt sighed as Taliya stood at the cave’s entrance, the wind catching her sleeveless cloak at just the right angle to blow slightly behind her. He stood up and joined her, looking out at the stars. 

“I don’t understand why I’m here, Geralt, why I didn’t die in the trials… but if I can help people, even if they fear me… it’s worth it.” Taliya looked back at Geralt before grabbing her pack and running. But it wasn’t exactly running, it looked as if the ground shifted beneath her feet and propelled her forward.

____________________________________________________________________________

Geralt had made it back to Roach before dawn, and set out in the direction this element-bender sprinted towards. Nothing significant was in this direction, nothing that he could remember. He rode straight through the morning, only running into another person as the sun was high above in the sky. 

It was a young man running in the opposite direction. He looked back every few seconds as if something was chasing him. He would’ve ran right into Roach had Geralt not stopped a few yards back and began calling to him. 

“What’s out there?”

“Oh thank the Goddess… Witcher, there is a woman dueling a dragon down this path! I’d turn now if I were you.” The young man said as he caught his breath for a moment before continuing his run. 

“Taliya…” Geralt whispered to himself as he motioned Roach forward. The horse hesitated, and her rider hopped off with a grunt before tying her to a nearby tree. He took a few potions from his saddle bags and patted Roach’s neck before continuing down the road alone. 

Geralt didn’t need to go much further before he heard a loud shriek of a monster followed by the yell of a woman. He continued forward, dropping all but his silver sword, and pushed through the foliage of the forest to see Taliya fighting a wyvern, not a dragon as the young man suggested. 

She seemed to be holding her own rather well, compared to her encounter with the kikimore. This time, Taliya wasn’t afraid to use her abilities to her advantage. As the wyvern chased after her, giant shards of rock splintered up from the ground. One pierced the beasts wing and it gave a loud screech. 

Never usually one to miss out on a fight, Geralt grabbed his silver sword, dropped the rest of his things, and ran towards the action. He slid just as the wyvern swung its uninjured wing at him and managed to slice at one of its feet. The same foot nearly crushed the Witcher but luckily for him, a rather large gust of wind knocked the wyvern down.

Looking in the direction of the wind, Geralt saw Taliya. Her eyes were glowing a faint light blue and the tunnel of wind seemed to appear from the palm of her hand. He froze for a moment watching her fight; watching her pull water from the ground and freeze it into icicles to slice at the monster, watching her shoot flames from her fingertips and kick boulders the size of Roach around. 

It was incredible, like nothing he’d ever seen before. Geralt was so caught up in watching her that it took him a second to realize she was calling out to him. 

  
“Geralt! Geralt, move!” Taliya ran forward, trying to stop the wyvern but she was a step behind. The beast swung at the Witcher and threw him across the field. He blacked out for a second, focusing as he heard the wyvern cry out once more.

Geralt looked on from the tree he landed against as the ground flowed up around the wyvern’s feet like water and held the monster in place. He then saw Taliya, running towards it’s back with her silver-tipped spade ready in her hands. She climbed up the back of the beast in a familiar fashion and readied her weapon to strike. 

Taliya held her spade behind her head like an executioner about to drop their ax. She took several steadying breaths as she readied herself. Geralt managed to get to his feet, sprinting over to where his sword had landed. A loud gasp brought his attention back to the wyvern. 

The stinger of its tail had pierced clean through Taliya’s chest and was held in by the barbs surrounding it. The mutant female inhaled again before continuing her task and decapitating the wyvern with a swipe of her spade. As the beast fell to its side, Taliya had no choice but to go down with it. 

“Taliya!” Geralt ran to her side, kneeling down and assessing the damage. Even with the abilities she had received as a child, the poison in the tip of the tail would prove fatal in a matter of minutes. She lay on her side with the tail still through her chest, attempting to reach behind her to pull it out. 

“Stop… Taliya, stop, it’s okay.” The witcher tried to sooth her as he took a dagger and sliced the tail close to her back. He then ripped strips of fabric from her cloak to secure the tail in place, any movement in either direction could be even worse. Geralt fumbles through his pocket for a moment before pulling out a small vial of a yellow liquid. 

“Drink this…” He instructed as he helped Taliya sit up and against the back of the wyvern. “Golden Oriole… supposed to help with poison.” Geralt shrugged slightly as she drank the potion. She coughed harshly after setting the vial down, a small bit of blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. 

“Geralt… I need to tell you something.” 

“No, you can wait till you're better and you can talk my ear off. Rest now.” He shook his head, not wanting to say goodbye. He heard the rattle in her breath as she looked up and placed a hand on his cheek. 

  
“Listen to me… please.” Taliya pleaded, tears streaming down through the dirt and blood caked on her cheeks. “You and I both know this potion won’t help with the hole in my chest.” She paused, trying to catch her breath. However hard it was to accept, Taliya was right. Fresh blood continued to seep out around the area the wyvern's tail had pierced. 

With what little strength she had, Taliya lifted her hand and brushed some silver hair out of Geralt’s face before her hand landed back on his cheek. She was cold, and slightly trembling. Geralt tried to remain emotionless, stoic, but her words were getting the better of him. 

“Please, Geralt…. There are mages out there still looking for me.” Taliya’s voice was only a whisper now, forcing Geralt to lean in closer to hear her. “You can’t let them… please, I need you to burn my body… please, Geralt.” The witcher sighed and leaned his forehead against hers. 

“I will… I promise.” Geralt whispered back. He could hear her heartbeat getting slower by the second, her skin growing paler and colder. The sun had begun to set as Geralt shifted Taliya carefully, sliding in behind her and the wyvern so she could lean against him. A simple gesture in an attempt to offer her comfort. They looked out at the orange sky, Taliya taking Geralt’s hand in hers and squeezing with as much strength as she could muster. 

“Thank you,” Her breathing was uneven, her voice hardly understandable, “Thank you, Geralt of…” 

Her lifeless hand let go of his own and fell to the ground. Geralt let out a breath he didn’t realize had been stuck in his chest as he stood, picking Taliya’s body up and carrying her over to Roach. 

Geralt rode to the only place he could think of to take her; the small cave she had built after fighting the kikimore. It took him the rest of the evening, but the Witcher built a bed of firewood inside. At the first signs of morning he took her body, now covered in a blanket he found in her bag, and placed her on top. He stood back a bit and cast Igni towards the bottom of the pile, watching as the flames slowly grew around her. Geralt sat, unable to leave until his promise was fulfilled. 

No one else in this world would ever hurt this woman again. 

**Author's Note:**

> Am I happy with this one? Not exactly. Am I happy that it's finished and I can move on? Absolutely.   
> I hope you guys enjoyed it, at least.


End file.
